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The R. L. Drake Co. was founded by
Robert Lloyd Drake Sr.. He was the eldest son of four children and also
the father of four children. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, he attended the
University of Cincinnati after graduating from high school. At that time,
the university was a city college and he lived at home while attending
college.
Graduating in the early 1930's, Mr. Drake was first
employed by Dayrad (Dayton Radio Co.) in the Engineering Department. He
later went to work for the Bendix Corp. in their Aviation Department. Mr.
Bill Lear, of Lear Jet fame, hired Mr. Drake to work for his company,
which was Learavia, in the Engineering Department.
Mr. Drake's
hobby was amateur radio. He enjoyed talking to other amateurs on the
"wireless" and had tinkered with the design of different filters to help
improve his reception, as well as his transmitted signal. The amateur
radio operators at the other end of the wireless radio, were very
interested in obtaining these filters for their own equipment.
In
1943, Mr. Drake decided to start his own company and leave his secure
position at Learavia. He gathered three other people to help him design,
and build his products. One of the individuals was Katherine "Katy" Quake,
who worked for the company until 1988. Another was Milton "Milt" Sullivan,
a fellow Engineer and amateur radio operator. The company began at 11
Longworth St. in Dayton, Ohio. The upper level of the building was rented
to a manufacturer of coat hangers.
Products at the time were mainly
low pass filters and high pass filters for the amateur radio operator and
for military use. Filters for amateur radio use were a part of the
company's product line for over forty years. A tank jamming device was
also produced for the US military. The military also wanted a filter
designed to eliminate the jamming, but this could not be done due to the
method Mr. Drake had designed. He had a difficult time convincing the
government officials that it could not be done. The tank jamming equipment
was successfully used in major events of WWII such as Normandy Beach on
June 6, 1944.
The recession that followed WWII meant difficult
times for everyone, the R. L. Drake Co. included. The Company managed to
survive the hard times by continuing the production of filters and by
doing small jobs for larger companies. This included making table lamps
for S. S. Kresge, spring contacts for General Electric, winding coils and
chokes for Delco Electric, and assembling communication cables for an
airplane manufacturer.
Ten years later, in 1953, the company moved
its 10 to 12 employees to Miamisburg, Ohio. The new location was in the
once famous Baum Opera House. This building later became the home of Star
City Marine. They say, that if you stand in Market Square and catch the
sun just right you can see the name, Baum Opera House showing through the
faded paint on the building.
The product line now included more
accessories for amateur radio operators, such as Q-multipliers for HRO and
National receivers, product detectors for Collins Radio receivers, and the
Drake High Patch phone patch. Being an amateur radio operator himself
(W8CYE), Mr. Drake had modified his own Hammarlund receiver for single
sideband reception. However he was not totally satisfied with the
receiver's performance and knew that he could design a "better mouse
trap."
While recovering at home, from a bad case of hives,
partially due to worry about the survival of the company and its
employees, he began the design of the 1-A single sideband receiver. The
receiver was long, thin, and tall like a mailbox. It was very different to
the large box like conventional receivers that were on the market. This
receiver was destined to be the first receiver designed solely for single
sideband reception. All other receivers for amateur radio use received
only on AM (Amplitude Modulation) or were old military AM receivers, which
were then modified by the amateur radio operator for SSB (single sideband)
reception. Single sideband was in its infancy and many amateur radio
operators said it was only a fad and would never last and certainly would
never equal AM operation.
Once the 1-A was finished, he was unsure
that he could mass produce such a product, let alone finance it. He
decided to offer his design to well known receiver manufacturers such as
National, Hammarlund, and Hallicrafters. After many letters were mailed
back and forth neither party was able to reach any type of agreement. A
turning point came when Francis R. Gibb or "Gibby" as he was known to his
amateur friends said "You build'em and I'll take the first hundred." Gibby
was a good friend of Mr. Drake and he was a well known supplier of amateur
radio equipment, as he owned and operated Universal Service in Columbus,
Ohio. Another amateur radio equipment supplier, Hyde "Rube" Rubel, of
Srepco in Dayton, Ohio, also supported the 1-A receiver concept and urged
production of the first single sideband receiver.
The first ten or
so 1-A receivers were built at the old Baum Opera House location, then in
1958 the company moved to the present 540 Richard Street address, as more
room was needed. The production of the 1-A was then put into full force.
The 1-A design was based on a simple to operate concept, no bells, no
whistles, easy to service, high quality, and high performance.
Cosmetically, it was plain, the front panel was black, the cabinet was
black, and it was soon dubbed "The Black Box" among amateurs. Receivers
prior to the introduction of the 1-A were large, bulky, had large knobs,
large meters, and were often called "Boat Anchors."
The 1-A
receiver was a success, as it was well received by amateur radio
operators. However, amateurs wanted a receiver that had both AM reception
and SSB reception, built with the performance of the 1-A. AM was still the
most popular mode of communication between amateurs, but SSB was slowly
growing in popularity. The 2-A was designed and produced to meet this
requirement. It was soon followed by the design of the 2-B receiver, which
included several improvements. Mr. Drake offered the 2-B receiver design
to radio receiver manufacturers such as Globe Radio and Hallicrafters, as
he felt uneasy about increasing the size of the company. Unable to come to
terms, it was decided in 1961, to proceed with production of the 2-B under
the R. L. Drake Co. name.
In 1963, the company introduced its first
transceiver and named it the TR-3. The TR-3 was a tube type unit, as were
all Drake products at that time. It used a 9.0 MHZ IF, tube type VFO
(Variable Frequency Oscillator), and three 12JB6 sweep tubes as the final
output tubes. The sensitivity was excellent and the 300 watt PEP final
output stage gave it the punch needed by the amateur radio operator. The
demand for the TR-3 was tremendous and its popularity grew as did the name
Drake.
In 1965, the Inland Testing Laboratory ( a division of Cook
Electric, Chicago, Illinois) was purchased by Mr. Drake. The name was
changed to Dayrad, a name familiar to Mr. Drake as helping him start his
earlier years. Unfortunately, a few years later, the equipment was sold
and the company was dissolved, as there was not enough work to keep the
employees busy. Some employees were transferred to the Miamisburg
plant.
Then in 1966 a completely new line was designed and
introduced, which became known around the world as the "Drake Twins." The
receiver was the R-4 and the mating transmitter was the T4-X. Also
produced were accessories such as the W-4 wattmeter, the MN-4 matching
network, the MS-4 matching speaker, and the AC-4 power supply. The R-4A
soon replaced the R-4 and the L-4 linear amplifier was introduced along
with the MN-2000 matching network. The L-4 and the MN-2000 proved to be
two of the most desired products by amateurs around the world. These two
products are still sought after by amateurs today.
Shortly after
the R-4A had reached the market, the company was approached by Radio New
York Worldwide to build a low cost International Shortwave receiver for
their own use. The SW-4 was designed primarily from the R-4A concept and
was to receive AM only. The front panel stated "Designed especially for
Radio New York Worldwide." Again, not wanting to expand beyond the
companies means, the receiver was offered to RCA. Who, at the time, was a
leader in communications type receivers. RCA was at the time producing the
CRM-R6A receiver for the world communications market and declined the
offer. The SW-4A short wave receiver soon followed the SW-4 with several
improvements and with more solid state devices being used instead of
tubes.
The C-4 station console was introduced in 1966 and was
another first in amateur radio equipment. The unit was engineered and
designed by Ronald E. Wysong, who was later to succeed Peter W. Drake as
president and CEO of the R. L. Drake Company. The unit housed a phone
patch, rotor control, wattmeter, equipment control switch, ID timer, 24
hour clock, remote antenna selector, and it could also control the AC
power to other units in the "Ham Shack." Thus turning off the C-4 could
turn all of the amateurs' equipment off. It also grounded the amateurs
antenna coax lines to help protect the equipment from the dangers of a
lightning strike.
Also in the year 1966, Ron Wysong was interested
in cameras and photography as a personal hobby. He learned that printed
circuit boards involved photography and negatives. He persuaded the
company to invest in the first steps toward a printed circuit board
department. He made an etching table out of plywood and 2x4's, mounted a
motor to vibrate the table top, and was soon making progress. The first
printed circuit board to be used in a product was the audio board of the
R4-B receiver. This was the start of the PC Fabrication
Department.
In the year 1967, the 2-C receiver and the 2-NT CW
transmitter were introduced which filled the need of a good low cost
novice station for many beginning amateurs. The TR-4 transceiver replaced
the TR-3 with several improvements, including a solid state VFO, and a BFO
circuit.
The R4-B, T4-XB and the L4-B were improved versions of the
earlier products and were introduced in late 1967. The production rate was
averaging four to six units per day of most products. More room was needed
and an addition was made to the building to provide office space, an
Engineering Department and a lunch room area. The Engineering Department
was sharing space with the Machine Shop in a small building across the
railroad tracks from the main plant. The new addition would give the
entire building to the Machine Shop.
The SPR-4 was introduced in
1970 as a replacement for the ever popular SW-4A. The receiver was all
solid state, could receive both SSB, AM, CW, and RTTY. Crystals could be
added to extend the listening range to meet the needs of the owner. The
two meter FM (Frequency Modulation) band was gaining in popularity and the
ML-2 two meter FM transceiver was introduced. This was the first unit to
be imported and sold bearing the R. L. Drake Co. name. This lead to the
import of the TR-22 portable 2 meter transceiver and the TR-22M portable
transceiver. The TR-22M was a marine transceiver which allowed the company
to enter into the marine communications market. The introduction of the
TRM single sideband transceiver followed and its use ranged from small
shrimp boats to the larger oil tankers. The TR-22C was imported to replace
the TR-22, which was later replaced by the TR-33C. All three units
required crystals for each channel, unlike the synthesized handheld units
of today.
The DSR-1 receiver was introduced in late 1971. It
covered the complete HF spectrum and used "nixie" tubes for the digital
display. It also allowed reception of independent sideband as well as
single sideband and AM. It was followed by the MSR-1, a 19 inch rack mount
commercial type receiver. The MSR-1 was used aboard ocean going ships as
the mains receiver or primary receiver. The DSR-2, MSR-2, and the MSR/FMP
succeeded the DSR-1 and MSR-1. These units contained gold plated switch
contacts to minimize contact failure in the salty air.
The ever
popular C-line was introduced in 1973 to replace the B-line twins. The
C-line units made use of more solid state components, a dual dial VFO, a
plug-in antenna change-over relay in the T4-XC, and crystal filters
replaced the old reliable Pass Band Tuner in the R4-C. The R4-C receiver
and the T4-XC transmitter are still sought after by many amateurs and held
as prize possessions by others. Accessories included the TC-2 two meter
transverter and the SC-2 receiving converter, the TC-6 six meter
transverter and the SC-6 receiving converter. The TR-6 six meter
transceiver was also introduced.
The SSR-1 receiver was imported
and added to the shortwave receiver line as a low cost unit covering the
complete spectrum from the broadcast band through 30 MHz. A whip antenna
and a compartment for eight D-cell batteries made it portable.
In
1975 amateur radio operators across the world were in mourning as word
spread that R. L. Drake Sr. had passed away. They had lost a very dear
friend, a fellow amateur, and a pioneer of Amateur Radio. The operation
and management of the company was turned over to Peter W. Drake, as Mr.
Drake had been training his son to assume his position for some
time.
Drake amateur radio equipment can be found on every part of
the globe. If the equipment is not there, the name Drake is known and
respected. Amateur Radio operators come in all walks of life and at one
time or another have owned, wanted, or used a piece of radio gear
manufactured in Miamisburg, Ohio. King Hussein of Jordan has used Drake
gear, as well as Barry Goldwater, Roy Neal, and Ronnie Milsap.
The
amateur radio station aboard the Queen Mary was once a complete line of
Drake equipment. The R. L. Drake Co. amateur radio equipment has been use
in hot air balloon flights trying to fly non-stop across the country or
around the world. An around the world attempt on a sailing yacht used
Drake gear, the details were outlined in an issue of the Smithsonian
Magazine. The non-stop flight of the Voyager was aided with Drake gear.
Many far away and remote islands have been temporary home of DX-peditions
using Drake gear to contact their fellow amateurs. A complete 7-line was
taken to China as international goodwill by a California University.
Famous amateurs include James Stewart, Chet Atkins, Joe Walsh, and
Astronauts such as Owen Garriot and Tony England. Marlon Brando, at one
time, wanted to use Drake amateur radio equipment as a communications link
on his island.
In the year 1977, land was purchased in Franklin,
Ohio, just off Route 123, to build a new production facility. The
production facility was to be completed in three phases. The first phase
of the building provided 42,500 feet and was completed in 1978. The
Machine shop, PC fabrication department, production lines, and component
assembly lines were moved to this new facility. The office staff, Sales
department, Engineering department, and the Service department remained at
the Miamisburg plant.
Production now included the TR-7, a
completely solid state transceiver and a companion receiver, the R-7.
Complementary accessories included the L-7 linear amplifier, WH-7
wattmeter, and the MN-2700 matching network, to mention a few. The UV-3
was introduced in 1978, and was another first in amateur radio. It was a
single unit housing a 146 MHz band transceiver, a 220 MHz band
transceiver, and a 450 MHz band transceiver all in a compact, rugged
package. It was designed for mobile operation or for base station use. The
MRT-55, designed from the UV-3, proved to be a viable product in the
marine radio market, and led to the production of the MRT-55C. The RR-3
was introduced in 1981 to replace the RR-2 which had replaced the RR-1
earlier. The RR-1 had gained popularity as being a very reliable, low cost
secondary receiver aboard ocean going ships.
The TR-4310
transceiver and the R-4245 receiver were also introduced as primary units
for ocean going ships. These were redesigned TR-7 and R-7 respectively
with a VRTO (variable rate tuning oscillator), full transmit coverage, and
with all crystal filters installed. They were also standard 19" rack mount
units built for rugged duty. Radio Monaco at one time used four complete
rack mounted stations, consisting of the TR-4310, R-4245, L-77, and the
MN-4438. The L-77 and the MN-4438 were built on the lines of the L-7 and
MN-2700 with a face lift to match the TR-4310 and R-4245.
In the
year 1981, it was decided to enter the home satellite receiver market.
This meant a completely new product, which means engineering time,
drawings, board layouts, ordering parts, market analysis, marketing
forecasts and advertising brochures, all of which take time. It is usually
two years or more before all of the pieces fit together and a product is
actually on the shipping dock. The ESR-24 design and production set new
standards, as it was in the shipping department within eight months.
Design of the ESR-24 (Earth Station Receiver - 24 channels) began in May,
the first prototype unit was shown at the Omaha, Nebraska home satellite
show in August, and the first units left the shipping dock in November of
1981. The ESR-24 was the first cosmetically appealing, professionally
built consumer receiver for home satellite reception. The competition
units were either built in a back room or in a garage. It was designed
especially for the home dish owner. It soon became a leader in a very new
and exciting market.
The ESR-24 brought new fame to the company, so
instead of offering the design to other manufacturers, the company was
approached by other manufacturers to produce receivers under their name.
The OEM accounts included Channel Master, Winegard, Conifer, and National
Microtech.
In July of 1983, the upper level of a building on
Springboro Pike was leased to the company. The office staff, Sales staff,
and the Engineering department were moved to this new address to become
the Corporate Office. This provided the much needed room for all three
departments, which were expanding rapidly.
The second phase of the
Franklin plant became reality in 1984. An addition of 50,000 square feet
was added, which gave an overall building size of 92,500 square feet. This
addition provided the much needed room to move the Engineering department
into the same building with the Production department as well as providing
more area for production lines. The PC Fabrication department now consumed
11,000 square feet of the building. The equipment was of the latest
technology. It's waste water treatment plant could treat 80 gallons a
minute, removing all heavy metals, and automatically adjust the pH balance
properly before being released.
The postponed, but eventual
decision was made to cease production of amateur radio equipment. The
market had all but disappeared, there was a lack of FCC deregulation, the
foreign competition was increasing more and more, and the dollar was
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